Bride Doesn’t Want Her Dad in Wheelchair to Walk Her Down the Aisle until She Sees Him on TV — Story of the Day

A woman doesn’t want her father to walk her down the aisle because she is embarrassed by his wheelchair. However, when she sees him on TV a few days before the wedding, she regrets her decision and changes her mind.

When Lisa Terrell’s mother died when she was just two years old, her father, Edward, took up her care. Caroline Terrell had died in a terrible hurricane that hit their town years ago, demolishing their home and leaving Edward in a wheelchair due to a severe injury.

Nonetheless, nothing could stop Edward from raising Lisa with love and giving her the finest of everything. He was a well-known journalist and began working remotely following his injury to provide for them.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

However, most people in Lisa’s life were unaware she had a father until he paid her a surprise visit at her school one day.

Lisa had always told her friends that her father was too busy to spend time with her, which is why he never attended school functions or parent meetings. However, the reality was that the invitations never made it to Edward since Lisa was embarrassed by him and didn’t want her friends to see him.

She adored him as a youngster, but as she grew up, the image of her father in a wheelchair mortified her and wrecked her relationship with him.

She was confused as she looked at the television and noticed her father sitting alongside the host.

Still, Edward never reneged on his duties. He was always there for his daughter and saved enough money to send her to a top university.

On the other hand, Lisa did not want him by his side. In fact, when she met her boyfriend, Harrison, at university, and they decided to marry after graduation, she didn’t want Edward to be there for the wedding.

As a result, she freaked out when Harrison asked her to invite Edward to dinner at his parents’ place. His parents were wealthy and of the upper crust. What would they think if they saw an elderly man in their home in a wheelchair? Lisa was ashamed by the very thought of it.

However, based on Harrison’s enthusiasm in inviting Edward to dinner, Lisa realized she didn’t have an out this time. So she had to fake a grin and say she’d ask Edward if he was free.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

When Lisa told Edward about the invitation to dinner, he was more than just free. He was overjoyed for Lisa for finding someone who adored her.

On the night of the dinner, he dressed nicely in a suit and Harrison’s family received him warmly. The young man’s parents were impressed that Edward had reared a daughter on his own. Besides, Edward had a wonderful sense of humor, and everyone had a great time at the dinner. Everyone except Lisa, whose cheeks were flushed crimson with shame the entire time since the man in a wheelchair was her father…

A few weeks before the wedding, Lisa made up her mind. She confronted Edward one night over dinner and notified him that he would not be on the wedding guest list.

“Dad, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding,” she began, glancing at her plate and moving her fork around the spaghetti.

“Yes? What exactly is it, honey?” Edward inquired. “Is there something bugging you about the wedding, the expenses? If that’s the case, I have some bonds that we could use. After all, I did keep it for you…”

“No, dad! It’s just that,” Lisa paused for a moment, “Harrison and I intend to hold the wedding here in New York, but the problem is that we’re having it at one of the city’s largest hotels, and… I just thought it would be best if you didn’t attend the event. You know, there would be way too many guests!”

Edward’s smile vanished as he stared at Lisa, speechless. “I – I don’t understand…What’s the problem?”

Lisa sighed and fixed her gaze on him. “Look, Dad, it’s just that… The guests will be exclusive, and they’re all businessmen and high-class people. Imagine a man in a wheelchair walking his daughter down the aisle in front of them… I don’t know…It’s just weird.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

“A man in a wheelchair is weird?” Edward’s eyes welled up. He couldn’t believe Lisa was indirectly cutting him off the wedding guest list. But he grasped the cue and forced a grin, hiding his tears from her.

“Is that it? Oh, you’re right! After all, this old age is catching up with me,” he said, faking a laugh. “I may not be able to handle such a large gathering. It’s ok – it’s ok!”

“Thanks for understanding, dad,” Lisa said bluntly and went away to her room. Before dissing Edward, she didn’t think twice about all the years of love and care he’d given her, but eventually, she regretted it.

A few days later, she was watching a show titled “American Heroes” on TV when the emcee announced Edward’s name. She was confused as she looked at the television and noticed her father sitting alongside the host.

Soon after, the camera focused on a screen that displayed images of Edward in a wheelchair and the hurricane that had hit their town years before. He turned out to be one of the brave journalists who had managed to save his family and help his neighbors throughout the disaster.

Edward had a solemn expression as he narrated the whole story of how he’d managed to help people, especially his family.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

“I will never forget that day. It was terrible… we lost practically everything,” he explained. “My wife died in the accident, and my daughter was just two years old at the time. As the debris surrounding us fell, I noticed my daughter standing right there…underneath that spot where it was falling.

“I went to save her and took her into my arms, but as I ran, a large section of the ceiling cracked and crashed on my back, causing a spine injury that prevented me from walking again.”

Lisa’s jaw sank to the floor, and her tears welled up when she heard that. “Dad saved me?” she was shocked.

“It was hard for me,” Edward continued. “But you know, you can’t really avoid your fate. So I gathered courage, knowing I just couldn’t give up in life, especially because I know I had a daughter who was now reliant on her father.”

Lisa was utterly embarrassed about herself at this point. She cried after Edward’s interview, cursing herself for being a terrible daughter, and decided to make it up to him.

So on her wedding day, she did walk down the aisle with Edward, but before the wedding ceremony began, she needed to tell the guests something VERY important…

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

As she took the microphone near the altar, she approached Edward, who was sitting among the guests, fell on her knees, and hugged him. “I know this is one of the most important days of my life, and I’ve been waiting for it for so long!” she cried, holding his hands in hers. “But none of this would have been possible if my father had not been by my side.”

“Ever since mom passed away, I never saw dad saying even once how hard it was for him to raise me alone. He did have hard days, but he never showed me the slightest hint of it. But what did I do? I was about to remove him from the wedding list because I was embarrassed about him being in a wheelchair. Yes, that’s right!”

“If only I had known that dad is in a wheelchair because he injured his back while saving me, I’d have never ever done that. I have been horrible to the man who loves me the most!”

“So I’d like to apologize to him in front of everyone today. I apologize for being the worst daughter to you, dad,” she said, facing him. “You can hate me for the rest of my life. I am sorry.”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Edward wasn’t expecting Lisa to own her mistake publicly. He was surprised but at the same time overcome with emotions at seeing his daughter realize her error, so he forgave her.

“Oh, come here,” he cried, embracing her. “Everyone makes mistakes,” he said. “But if you recognize them and work to fix them, you should be forgiven.”

Everyone was moved to tears and applauded the heartwarming reunion.

What can we learn from this story?

  • Love and respect your parents because they go above and beyond for you. Liza realized this when she heard her father’s story on TV and apologized to him for being rude.
  • Everyone makes mistakes, and if they realize it, they should be forgiven. Edward forgave her daughter when he saw she felt guilty for what she’d done.

My Husband Went on a Business Trip Right Before Christmas — on Christmas Eve, I Found Out He Lied and Was Actually in Our City

My husband left on an “urgent” business trip just two days before Christmas. When I learned he had lied and was actually at a nearby hotel, I drove there. But when I burst into that hotel room, I froze in tears. The face looking back at me shattered my heart and turned my world upside down.

I always thought my husband and I shared everything. Every silly joke, every little worry, and every dream. We knew each other’s quirks and flaws, celebrated our victories together, and helped each other through rough patches. At least, that’s what I believed until Christmas Day when everything I thought I knew came crashing down around me.

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

“Andrea, I need to tell you something,” Shawn said, his fingers drumming nervously on our kitchen counter. “My boss called. He needs me to handle an emergency client situation in Boston.”

I looked up from my coffee, studying his face. There was something different in his expression. A flicker of… guilt? Anxiety?

“During Christmas?” my eyes widened.

“I know, I know. I tried to get out of it, but…” He ran his hand through his dark hair — a gesture I’d grown to love over our three years of marriage. “The client’s threatening to pull their entire account.”

A distressed man | Source: Midjourney

A distressed man | Source: Midjourney

“You’ve never had to travel on Christmas before.” I wrapped my hands around my coffee mug, seeking warmth. “Couldn’t someone else handle it?”

“Trust me, I wish there was.” His eyes met mine, then quickly darted away. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. We’ll have our own Christmas when I get back.”

“Well, I guess duty calls.” I forced a smile, though disappointment settled heavy in my chest. “When are you leaving?”

“Tonight. I’m so sorry, honey.”

I nodded, fighting back tears. It was going to be our first Christmas apart since we’d met.

A sad woman with her eyes downcast | Source: Midjourney

A sad woman with her eyes downcast | Source: Midjourney

That evening, as I helped Shawn pack, memories of our life together flooded my mind.

I remembered our wedding day, how his eyes lit up when I walked down the aisle, and the way he surprised me with weekend getaways. How he worked extra hours at the consulting firm to save for our dream house — the Victorian with the wrap-around porch we’d been eyeing.

“Remember our first Christmas?” I asked, folding his sweater. “When you nearly burned down our apartment trying to make a roast turkey?”

He laughed. “How could I forget? The fire department wasn’t too happy about that 3 a.m. call.”

A man laughing | Source: Midjourney

A man laughing | Source: Midjourney

“And last Christmas, when you got us those matching ugly sweaters?”

“You still wore yours to work!”

“Because you dared me to!” I tossed a sock at him, and he caught it with a grin. “The office still hasn’t let me live it down.”

His smile faded slightly. “I’m so sorry about this trip, darling.”

“I know!” I sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s just… Christmas won’t be the same without you.”

A worried woman sitting on the edge of the bed | Source: Midjourney

A worried woman sitting on the edge of the bed | Source: Midjourney

He sat beside me, taking my hand. “Promise you won’t open your presents until I’m back?”

“Cross my heart.” I leaned against his shoulder. “Promise you’ll call?”

“Every chance I get. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

As I watched him drive away, something nagged at the back of my mind. But I pushed the thought away. This was Shawn, after all. My Shawn. The man who brought me soup when I was sick and danced with me in the rain. And the man I trusted more than anyone in the world.

A man driving a car | Source: Unsplash

A man driving a car | Source: Unsplash

Christmas Eve arrived, bringing with it a blanket of snow and an emptiness I couldn’t shake. The house felt too quiet and too still. I’d spent the day baking cookies alone, watching Christmas movies alone, and wrapping last-minute gifts… alone.

Around 9 p.m., my phone lit up with Shawn’s call. My heart leaped.

“Merry Christmas, beautiful,” he said, his voice oddly strained.

“Merry Christmas! How’s Boston? Did you get the client situation sorted out?”

“It’s… uh… good. Listen, I can’t really talk right now. I have to go—”

A shocked woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

A shocked woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

In the background, I heard what sounded like dishes clinking, muffled voices, and laughter.

“Are you at dinner? This late? I thought you had meetings?”

“I have to go!” he practically shouted. “Emergency meeting!”

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone, my hands shaking. Emergency meeting? At 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve? With restaurant noises in the background? None of it made sense.

Then I remembered my fitness tracker! I’d left it in his car last weekend after our grocery run. With trembling fingers, I opened the app on my phone.

A woman holding a smartphone | Source: Unsplash

A woman holding a smartphone | Source: Unsplash

The location pointer blinked back at me, mocking my trust. Shawn’s car wasn’t in Boston. It was parked at a hotel right in our city, less than 15 minutes from our house.

My world stopped spinning for a moment. Then everything rushed back in a tornado of thoughts.

A hotel? In our city? On Christmas Eve?

My mind raced through possibilities, each worse than the last. Was he meeting someone? Had our entire marriage been a lie? The signs had been there… the nervous behavior, the quick departure, and the strange phone call.

“No,” I whispered to myself. “No, no, no.”

A woman driving a car | Source: Unsplash

A woman driving a car | Source: Unsplash

Without thinking twice, I raced to my car and headed straight to the hotel.

The drive passed in a blur of tears and terrible scenarios. Every red light felt like torture. Every second that ticked by was another moment my imagination ran wild with possibilities I couldn’t bear to consider.

Sure enough, there sat Shawn’s silver car, right in the parking lot when I arrived.

The sight of it — the car I’d helped him pick out, the car we’d taken on countless road trips — made my stomach churn.

A silver car in a hotel's parking lot | Source: Midjourney

A silver car in a hotel’s parking lot | Source: Midjourney

My hands shook as I marched into the lobby, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. Christmas music played softly in the background like a cruel mockery.

The receptionist looked up with a practiced smile. “Can I help you?”

I pulled out my phone, bringing up a photo of Shawn and me from last summer’s beach trip. My thumb brushed across his smiling face.

“This man is my husband. Which room is he in?”

An anxious woman at a hotel reception area | Source: Midjourney

An anxious woman at a hotel reception area | Source: Midjourney

She hesitated. “Ma’am, I’m not supposed to—”

“Please, I need to know. He told me he was in Boston, but his car is right outside. Please… I have to know what’s going on.”

Something in my expression must have moved her. Maybe it was the tears I couldn’t hold back, or maybe she’d seen this scene play out before. She typed something into her computer, glancing at my phone again.

“Room 412,” she said and slid a keycard across the counter. “But miss? Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”

I barely heard her last words as I rushed toward the elevator.

An agitated woman in an elevator | Source: Midjourney

An agitated woman in an elevator | Source: Midjourney

The elevator ride felt eternal. Each floor dinged past like a countdown to disaster. When I finally reached the fourth floor, I ran down the hallway, my footsteps muffled by the carpet.

Room 412. I didn’t knock… just swiped the keycard and burst in.

“Shawn, how could you—”

The words died in my throat.

There was Shawn, standing beside a wheelchair.

And in that wheelchair sat a man with silver-streaked hair and familiar eyes — eyes I hadn’t seen since I was five years old. Eyes that had once watched me take my first steps, had crinkled at the corners when he laughed at my jokes and had filled with tears the day he left.

An older man in a wheelchair | Source: Midjourney

An older man in a wheelchair | Source: Midjourney

“DADDY?” The word came out as a whisper, a prayer, and a question I’d been asking for 26 years.

“ANDREA!” my father’s voice trembled. “My little girl.”

Time seemed to freeze as memories crashed over me: Mom burning all his letters after the divorce… moving us across the country. And me crying myself to sleep, clutching the last birthday card he’d managed to send — the one with the little cartoon puppy that said: “I’ll love you forever.”

“How?” I turned to Shawn, tears streaming down my face. “How did you…?”

An emotional woman in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

An emotional woman in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

“I’ve been searching for him for a year,” Shawn said softly. “Learned a few details about him from your mother a few months before she passed. Found him in Arizona last week through social media contacts. He had a stroke a few years back and lost his ability to walk. I drove down to get him yesterday… wanted to surprise you for Christmas.”

My father reached for my hand. His fingers were thinner than I remembered, but the gentle strength in them was the same.

“I never stopped looking for you, Andrea. Your mother… she made it impossible. Changed your addresses and moved so many times. But I never stopped loving you. Never stopped trying to find my little girl.”

An emotional older man | Source: Midjourney

An emotional older man | Source: Midjourney

I fell to my knees beside his wheelchair, sobbing as he pulled me into his arms. His cologne, the same sandalwood scent from my childhood, wrapped around me like a warm blanket.

Every Christmas wish I’d ever made, every birthday candle I’d blown out, and every 11:11 I’d wished on — they’d all been for this moment.

“I thought…” I choked out between sobs. “When I saw the hotel… I thought…”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Shawn knelt beside us. “I wanted to tell you so badly. But I needed to make sure I could find him first. I couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing you if it didn’t work out.”

An upset young man in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

An upset young man in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to Shawn later, after emotions had settled somewhat and we’d ordered room service.

He pulled me close on the small sofa. “I wanted it to be perfect. Tomorrow morning, Christmas breakfast, your father walking… well, rolling in… the look on your face…”

“It is perfect!” I looked between the two men I loved most in the world. “Even if I ruined the surprise. Though I might have given myself a heart attack getting here.”

An emotional woman looking at someone | Source: Midjourney

An emotional woman looking at someone | Source: Midjourney

My father chuckled from his wheelchair. “You were always an impatient one. Remember how you used to shake all your Christmas presents?”

“Some things never change,” Shawn said, squeezing my hand.

“Remember the time I tried to convince you there was a fairy living in the garden?” Dad’s eyes twinkled. “You left out tiny sandwiches for a week.”

“I’d forgotten about that!” I laughed through fresh tears.

“I have 26 years of stories saved up,” Dad said softly. “If you want to hear them.”

“I want to hear everything.” I reached for his hand. “Every single story.”

A man sitting in a wheelchair and smiling | Source: Midjourney

A man sitting in a wheelchair and smiling | Source: Midjourney

I rested my head on Shawn’s shoulder, watching as my father began telling tales of my childhood — stories I’d thought were lost forever. Snow fell softly outside, and somewhere in the distance, church bells began to ring on Christmas Day.

My father’s eyes twinkled. “Now, who’s ready to hear about the time five-year-old Andrea decided to give our dog a haircut?”

“I think what we’re all ready to hear,” Shawn said with a grin, “is how Andrea jumped to conclusions and thought her loving husband was up to no good on Christmas Eve!”

A cheerful man laughing | Source: Midjourney

A cheerful man laughing | Source: Midjourney

I groaned, but couldn’t help laughing. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

“Never,” they both said in unison, and the sound of their laughter was the best Christmas gift I could have ever received.

An emotional woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

An emotional woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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